Vacant Peterbuilt Factory Becomes New Madison Police Precinct

Nashville buys the Peterbilt plant and they will use the structure for a police precinct, DNA crime lab and MTA facilities.

Mayor Karl Dean toured the 66 acre property; he thought this plant would be the perfect place for the Madison precinct, and go into a joint venture with MTA.

The transportation authority will spend $9.5 million and Metro would spend $6.5 million to buy the property. MTA had been pursuing the property for its headquarters and maintenance facility. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean wants to use the structure for a police precinct, and DNA crime lab facilities.

The DNA crime lab was originally slated to be combined with the West Precinct's new location on Charlotte Pike. Officials said the department's Records Division would ultimately also move to the property.

"This project is an example of different government departments working together to take advantage of a unique opportunity that will not only improve public services, but allow for the redevelopment of what would otherwise be a vacant, industrial property near a residential area," said Dean.

The police department will allow the commander to concentrate on the neighborhoods around Madison, the Rivergate area, the Goodlettsville area and so forth. The Madison Police Precinct is one of two precincts that will be built this year. The other is in South Nashville. An exact location has not been chosen, but it will be some where along the I-65 corridor.

Peterbilt officially closed plant operations in 2009, but it had not been fully used since 2008. Prior to 2008, the economy and the many months of a strike took a toll on the Peterbilt factory. When you would drive by the plant, shiny semi-trucks in many different colors would be parked on each side of the road. It's sad not to see the semi-trucks anymore, but it's nice to see the property being used for something that the neighborhood needs.

Construction will take one year to 18 months.

The Things that Make me Happy!

I'm trying Abatha's post on items that make my life a little easier and happier; so here it goes, and I have not been reimbursed from any of these companies. It's just my opinions!

1. Chick-fil-A: Multigrain oatmeal with roasted nuts and dried fruit; it is really good, and doesn't make me want to eat all day long. I think some oatmeal has so much sugar in it that I crave carbohydrates all day.

2. Caffeine Free Diet Coke: Pretty much colored water; so, I can count as water in my daily intake. It does have a small amount of taste; just drinking plain water all day gets old.

3. Rest: I'm the kind of person that needs at least 8 hours a night; last night the wind blew so hard that one of my plastic boat chairs decided to fly around my back yard. That made my motion detected light come on, go off, and it shined in my room when it was on. Didn't get 8 hours last night, not a happy girl today!

4. My Diet & Fitness Journal that I purchased out of an ABC catalog: I strive to write down my food intake, exercise, water intake, and how I'm feeling daily. I went to O'Charley's last night; I had the Chicken Italia, which was really good until I saw the nutritional facts. Thank goodness I only ate half of the meal; if I had eaten the whole meal, I would have consumed approximately 2230 milligrams of sodium. I'm so glad that I have "My Diet & Fitness Journal" to encourage me to research my meals, and help me make better/healthier choices.

A co-worker has purchased a Fit Bit tracking device to help him get healthier and lose weight; I have one on order, I'll review once I start using it. It's worked for my friend Bobby and his wife. Wish me luck!

Legend of Sugar Flat Road

The mysterious is all around us....
Incidents occur that should never happen...things that aren't meant to take
place in the real world where the sun is shining brightly. And in 1987, on a
cold, crisp moonlit January night, one of those things that don't happen
happened in the hills of Lebanon, Tennessee.
On that particular night, a lover's tryst led two people closer to the unknown
than they had ever wanted to get and when the night was over they'd relive it a
thousand times.
The two had come to Sugar Flat Road (or Lover's Lane as it was often called) to
meet discreetly. And since one of the parties was married discretion seemed
like a good idea. As usually happens in meetings such as this, time seemed to
stand still for the amorous couple. Before they knew it, it was well past the
hour when they should have gone to their separate homes.
Excited (for apparent reasons) and anxious over the possibility of being caught
at their illicit games they sped away from their place on the side of the road.
As the couple rounded a curve on the bumpy, old road two figures burst directly
into the path of the truck from the line of small scrub trees and bushes that lined
their route.
The brakes and the battered old truck did little to slow the vehicle and in the
midst of crunching metal, breaking glass, and skidding tires the couple heard a
horrible groan. Thinking he had hit a deer or a small bear, the driver swung his
door wide and leaped out of the truck.
The thing (that's what we'll call it for the time being) lay toward the rear of
the truck. The driver could barely make it out despite the full moon and the
glare of his taillight. He took a flashlight from his lady friend inside the
truck and went back to get another look at the lifeless form lying in the road.
As he approached the thing, he heard an animal-type cry from the other figure
standing just outside his field of vision. Frightened by this cry, he was also
fascinated at the thing in the road. As the beam of his flashlight settled on
the thing, he forgot all about its partner in the bushes.
Whatever he had run over looked for all practical purposes like a medium-sized
man with one exception. It was covered with what looked to be hair or fur. It
was also definitely dead. As he stood over the creature, his girlfriend's voice
trickled in from the darknessand he realized that the most important thing he
could do right now was get her home before they both had too much explaining to
do.
He pulled the creature to the side of the road, disguised it as well as he
could and got back into the truck. Despite her questions, he did little talking
during the trip. After dropping her off he went home and drank the better part
of a bottle of whiskey hoping it would calm him and put him to sleep quickly
after the harrowing experience. But try as he might, sleep evaded him. The
solution to his restlessness seemed to be to return to Sugar Flat Road and find
out exactly what it was he hit.
He dressed quickly and drove off into the late night early morning sky. As he
neared the site of the accident he drove by slowly looking for the body he'd
moved to the side of the road earlier. He backed his truck into the tree line
in front of a small building that for many years had been used as a voting
place.
Now, in the quiet of the dawn he inspected the creature again. It wasn't a man.
Of that he was sure. But what was it? With a shudder he took a shovel from the
back of his truck intent on burying the thing deep in the ground and forgetting
this night had ever happened. But as he dug into the soft earth, he began to
reason that since the creature wasn't a man it was obviously an animal. And he
should have a trophy. When the hole had been dug he deftly severed the
creature's head with the point of the shovel, scooped it up and tossed it into
the bed of the pickup. He kicked the thing's body into the hole, covered it
with dirt and drove into town to a taxidermist's shop. The taxidermist shook
his head in disbelief when he saw the creature's head, but despite never having
seen anything like it before he agreed to preserve it.
For several years after the incident the head rested on the mantel. The
reactions varied: Monster, Bigfoot, Alien, genetic freak...no one knew. The
only person who had a definite opinion on the creature was the man's wife. And
that opinion was "Either it goes or I go!" So it went.
But there continue to be spottings of the creature's mate up and down Sugar
Flat Road.
Residents of the area have complained that chickens, ducks and turkeys often
come up missing and the rumor is that if a dog barks at night it will probably
never be seen again.
The creature's head now resides at Cuz's Antique Center on the Square in Lebanon,
Tennessee. It's been there for several years now. And despite the national
television and radio exposure, no one to this day can attest to the origin of
this unusual creature.

The Luxor Interesting Facts

How did the ancient Egyptians align the pyramids so that two sides ran so precisely north-South? That is only one of the mysteries that surround those far-away structures. The Great Pyramids of Egypt have been a source of mystery for many years. Of course, they were built as tombs to the great pharaohs, but they were much more than that. The pyramids were believed to possess some kind of supernatural powers that would help to lead the rulers into the afterlife. Today, there are those who believe that pyramids continue to display powers far beyond the understanding of present-day culture. Modern times have not abandoned the pyramid, though - you will find this glass-and-steel structure on the south end of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

The Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a marvel of modern engineering. The walls of the hotel are the hotel's rooms, with each hallway having an open balcony looking down into the interior of the pyramid. In each corner is an elevator designed especially for the Luxor that goes up at the angle of the pyramid. They have been dubbed "inclinators", since they take passengers on an incline instead of straight up. The exterior of their shafts are also visible, which is just inside the strip entrance to the pyramid. The casino can be seen under the archway, between the two huge statues, and the upper level has several 3-D and IMAX type attractions - with a Luxor theme, of course.

Getting back to the Luxor's Egyptian counterparts, when archaeologists were examining the inner chambers of the pyramids, they found that stray cats that had become lost in the tombs when they were sealed, and had mysteriously become perfectly mummified over the years. Because of that, a French explorer named Monsieur Bovis went home and constructed a precise, scaled-down model of the pyramid. When he placed a dead cat in his model, it mummified perfectly. Further experiments over the years found that razor blades placed inside a pyramid retained sharpness much longer than normal. It was also found to keep food fresher, tenderized meat, and aided in reducing headache pain - and possibly increased sexual ability. Some even believe that a pyramid somehow causes polarized microwave signals that could eventually be channeled in a form of electrical power!

So what does all this have to do with a hotel and casino in Las Vegas? Well, your guess is as good as anyone else's. There is one thing for certain: guests have reported seeing the misty forms of a spirit roaming the hallways of the hotel.

How such a relatively new location could be haunted? I suppose that it could be the spirit of one or more of the three people who have taken their own life at the hotel, throwing themselves over the railing of one of the higher floors. On the other hand, the haunting could be related to the two workmen who reportedly lost their lives in accidents during the construction of the hotel.

Many histories of Vegas state that, "there are many holes in the desert (Debbie standing beside the statue is not one of these ghosts.)," referring to the time when the city was ruled by mobsters and impromptu executions and burials took place away from the major hotels - the Luxor property is at the far south of the strip, where nothing stood in the old days, and could easily be the location of such activity. Spirits of any gangsters could be responsible for the apparitions seen in the hotel. Or maybe it is the power of the pyramid alone that attracts the spectres...

Quite a lot has changed at the Luxor over the last few years. In 1994, the registration desk was located along the southern wall of the pyramid. It has since been relocated; the original construction of the registration desk was made to look like a massive Nile River barge. Attention to detail in the Luxor is truly incredible. The first construction of TheLuxor was transformed into a bona-fide Nile River ride, where a narrator told stories of old Egypt while you floated around the inside base of the hotel. The Nile has since been filled in, and the riverboats are no more, I wished I would have gotten to see them.

The Luxor has been the scene of several traumatic events in its short history. But whether that is the case for its reported haunting, or its location at the end of the strip, or simply the cosmic energy that emanates from the pyramid shape, something supernatural seems to be happening at the Luxor. It is not only interesting from that perspective, but also from its design.

The pyramid reaches 350 feet (146.73 meters) into the sky and is 36 stories tall. Luxor is home to the world's largest atrium, measuring 29 million cubic feet. The hotel has 4,407 rooms, making it the third largest hotel in the world. The beam crowning the pyramid is the brightest beam in the world, and is comprised of forty-five Xenon lights. It is said that you can read a newspaper 10 miles in space by its light.

Robin, Jim and I arrived in Las Vegas on December 19, 2011. Mike, Debbie and Grady picked us up at the airport at 8:00 p.m., and then we were off. Mike and Grady were tire, so Jim, Debbie, Robin and I went out for an adventure. We walked from Excalibur to the Luxor; such an amazing sight to see, so much art.

We walked through the Luxor casino; I found out really fast that if you were gambling that you get free drinks, but if you purchase a drink that it's way/way expensive. We stopped at Flight within the Luxor Casino; two beers and two whiskey sours were $40!

The last night we were in Las Vegas we road the railway; you can catch this railway at the Luxor, and you walk out the pyramid with a Spinx head.

Breaking Dawn Part 1 DVD - Target 11 p.m.

We had the night of Friday, February 9, 2012 all planned out; Brooke would meet Robin and I after she got off work at 7 p.m. at the Cool Springs Carmike theater to see "The Vow". Robin and I got to the theater early to get seats; thank goodness we did, it was completely sold out. It was opening night! When the movie was about to start, the manager of the theater and a policeman were still trying to find seats for their customers. I think they finally found everyone a seat.

After the movie, we headed to the Cool Springs Target store for the preview of "Breaking Dawn Part II" at 11 p.m. The DVD "Breaking Dawn Part I" would go on sale at midnight. We arrived at 10:30 p.m.; people were already starting to line up, and they were expecting around 200 people. WOW! We got in line, and started talking to some Twilight fans behind us.

While standing in line, an older lady who had drank to much alcohol came up asking why we were standing in line. She started asking why we liked watching these movies; shouldn't we be watching something else, it was just the devil in us making us do these things. One person in line started arguing with her; Robin said you can't reason with a drunk, and she was right. We started to ignore her; she would eventually go away, and a few of the younger fans in line stood close to Robin and I. Brooke had went to get a Target employee so they could have their policeman ask this lady to leave.

The daughter came over to get her Mom, and she gave me this weird look. I wasn't for sure what it meant, but Robin told me later that her daughter had said something where everyone could hear her. It was 11 p.m., and I didn't hear her since I was trying to watch the preview of "Breaking Dawn Part II". This Mom, who had drunk too much, had just lost a daughter to cancer. No this Mom shouldn't have scared the younger fans and harassed the older fans in line, but I'm sure she was hurting. She probably couldn't understand why people were there for something so frivolous. The daughter was able to get the Mom to leave, and the police were not involved. Thank Goodness! I felt so bad for this Mom and Daughter; they had lost a daughter and a sister.

They showed the preview several times; a section at a time were positioned right in front of a wall of plasma TV's, and you were able to be really close when they played a introduction by some of the Twilight actors. They were thanking everyone for coming out at such a late hour to purchase their last movie, "Breaking Dawn Part I". Their thank you to their fans at Target so late was a preview of "Breaking Dawn Part II"; I wished they would have shown us more, but what they showed looked really great!

After the preview, we were wound back around to get back in line where we were when we had originally arrived. It was 11:30 p.m., and we had 30 more minutes before the DVD would be on sale. That was the longest wait of the night; my feet hurt, and I was getting cranky. Finally, the line started moving. Robin and I purchased the deluxe version with the flower prop inside; then it was on to the car. We said good bye to Brooke, then we arrived home at about 1 a.m. Brooke had texted us to let us know she had made it home ok, and then I was off to sleep.

So many emotions within one night/morning: first, "The Vow" was the best movie that I have seen in a long time. You'll laugh, cry and get mad all in one movie. Second, it made me so sad to see that Mom in that state. Last but not least: The excitement of seeing the preview of the upcoming movie "Breaking Dawn Part II" and purchasing "Breaking Dawn Part I" DVD.

Resurgence

A breath taking hand blown glass sculpture titled “Resurgence”; brilliant flowers in jewel tones bursting powerfully upward. The accompanying plaque reads:

“Flowers are our companions throughout life’s journey, our inspiring and faithfully returning friends. This exuberant creation’s infinite colors and shapes, representing a range from buds to full blossoms parallel the unlimited resurgence and rebirth of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center after the flood of 2010.

You can see magnolia blossoms, bangos, butterflies, bees and other flowers in the stained glass piece above the Resurgence. Such a beautiful tribute to this hotel, and the citizens of Nashville!

Belmont University

Belmont University sits on 75 historic acres two miles southwest of downtown Nashville, Tenn., a thriving metropolis known worldwide as Music City USA. In the mid-1800s, the land the university now occupies was known as the Belle Monte estate, the Victorian home of one of
Tennessee’s wealthiest couples, Joseph and Adelicia Acklen. Their antebellum Belmont Mansion remains today, flanked by university buildings separated in age by more than a century.

The first educational institution on the estate was the original Belmont College (1890-1913), offering elementary school through junior college education to young ladies. The school merged with Ward Seminary to become the prestigious Ward-Belmont School for Women (1913-1951),
and in 1951, with the support of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, the school became the coed Belmont College. Since becoming Belmont University in 1991, Belmont has grown not only in size but in quality. The mansions, gardens and statues of Belmont's historic past now sit side-by-side with state-of-the-art facilities

equipped with the best technology and teachers to educate today's students with the right tools for real world success.

The various figures of limbless humans

or assorted wildlife around campus actually date to the property's historic origins. The Belmont Mansion, which now holds an honored position at the center of the campus. Adelicia was a traveler and antique hunter of some notoriety and brought many of the trinkets, both great and small, from her European expeditions back to the home at Belmont. The statues

strewn about the lawn are part of her collection, resting undisturbed here for decades (though they occasionally are victimized by vandals.) In addition, the gardens contain the largest collection of 19th century cast iron garden ornaments in the United States, including five cast iron gazebos.

Flood Destroys Music Valley Wax Museum

From one of Minnesota Fats’ pool tables to rare records and country music stars’ clothes.

With one historic stroke of bad luck, the museum is now destroyed. The tourist attraction on McGavock Pike near Opryland was submerged in waist-deep water during Nashville’s unprecedented flooding. As the floodwaters recede, the museum is just one of many businesses picking through pieces and trying to figure out what to do next.

“The museum was devastated,” “It’s wiped out. ... .”

The museum was a soggy and surreal mess of decapitated wax figures and other memorabilia. Employees frantically removed heads and placed them on high shelves to save them from rising floodwaters during the 2010 flood.

Many of the wax figures floated out of the museum during the flood, and a few were mistaken for actual people in distress. Emergency personnel tried to save these figures by getting in harms way within the strong waters; they thought they were saving a live person.

There remains a "Sidewalk of Stars" outside of the Music Valley Wax Music; many country stars had placed their hands and feet within concrete.

Since this wax museum building is up for sale now, what will happen to this concrete memorabilia?

Colordo Belle in Laughlin NV

As themes for casino resorts go, the Mississippi Riverboat doesn't qualify as anything original. Still, the Colorado Belle Casino Hotel, in Laughlin, NV, does a surprisingly good job of carrying it off. Though it sits among nine other casinos that line the Colorado River there, the Belle is built to look as if a real riverboat had grounded on Laughlin's shores. The floors of its casinos are known as "decks.'' Its games are "Captain's table games.'' Its entertainment is Dixieland jazz. Its restaurants have names like the Boiler Room.
Aside from the riverboat theme, everything at the Belle is pretty standard fare. Though its casino, at 65,000 square feet, is among the largest in Laughlin, the games are the same that you'll find anywhere else.

The rooms at the Belle are un-themed, and furnished in the style of a Holiday Inn. The restaurants, though, are another matter. Besides the Boiler Room (a brew pub with pizza and burgers), one can dine at a barbecue restaurant called - what else? - Mark Twain's. If Italian food is to your liking, you can eat at Carmella's. And where would a self-respecting casino hotel be without its buffet? The Belle's Captain's Buffet has what it calls "Exhibition Style'' cooking, as well as champagne brunches and dinners and a Friday night seafood special. And when, finally, you're ready for casual dining, you can eat affordable at the Paddle wheel.

For entertainment, the Colorado Belle provides two Dixieland bands: in the afternoon, the Dixie Boys; at night, the Dixie River Band. The Belle's history will offer a diversion for the curious, who
might like to wander about the hotel's third floor to figure out in which room a former New Jersey prosecutor, fleeing a prison sentence for corruption and fraud, shot himself to death.

The Colorado Belle is a replica of a 19th century Mississippi paddle wheel riverboat set on the west bank of the beautiful Colorado River! Situated in the center of casino row on Casino Drive in Laughlin, Nevada, the "Belle" is known for its relaxing atmosphere, beautiful river views, gaming and friendly staff.

We didn't go into the Colorado Belle; we did get to the "Chill" located on the outside of the riverboat. Grady got a strawberry milkshake, and Robin/Jim had beers. It was Debbie and I that had strawberry daiquiris. They were a little strong!

Cha Chah Restaurant at Belmont

Cha Chah was voted "2009 Best New Restaurant" by the Scene. Chef Arnold Myint, also of PM and Suzy Wong's House of Yum, references Cha Chah as his showroom and test kitchen where signature cocktails, house cured meats, breads & confections accompany his globally inspired cuisine and creative cocktails. Fans are all around the bungalow, walls painted in subtle shades of white, cream and beige, abstract canvases and glowing chandeliers. Whether you set in the dining room

or in the "Tasting Room", Cha Chah's celebration of food, friends

and family makes for a memorable experience.

This restaurant was originally intended as a teahouse showcasing Myint's line of private-label teas, the ChaChah project mushroomed over the last year, as architectural renovations exceeded projections—and the $1 million mark—and the menu ballooned from nibbles to nearly full-fledged meals.

The menu has a repertoire of dips, tapas and raciones. Our server described the categories like this: If you were at a cocktail party, the tapas would be passed as appetizers, and the raciones would be served at the table. Thanks goodness Robin and I walked into Cha Chah's during "Restaurant Week"; prices were a little more affordable for us. Three course meals (Raciones) were around $30, and tapas choices were anywhere from $4 to $13.

Our order was for a couple of the tapas items; Local Cheese & Charcuterie and a tapas that had shrimp, carrot slaw soaked in vinegar on crostini.

Parts of these foods were good, and part of them I wasn't crazy about. The cheeses, tereso, and currants, shrimp and bread were good. I wasn't crazy about the boiled pork or the carrot slaw.

We were hungry after eating at Cha Chah; it's not my favorite restaurant in Nashville, and I don't know if I would go back. Maybe my taste buds are not as sophisticated for this type of cooking/food. On a better note, I loved sitting on the patio. It was enclosed with heating; there were windows on all sides, you could watch the people walking on the sidewalk and the other restaurant customers.

M&M World

M&M World is like waking up in chocolate heaven -- four floors of chocolate full of M&M memorabilia. You'll
see the attraction's charming front window display. We went at night; it was still an amazing display on the front of the building. Bright yellow sign with many lights, and a red M&M on one side and a yellow M&M peanut on the other.

Once you step inside this M&M's wonderland, you'll instantly feel the energy with the bright colors, upbeat music and playful M&M's memorabilia. On the main floor, choose from a variety of charms, mugs, personalized key chains and just about every souvenir imaginable. There's also a kiosk where you can customize your own ID tag.

The rainbow wall on the second floor features 22 different M&M's colors like
teal, hot pink, lime green, gray and purple -- what a treat! You get a plastic bag and pick an assortment of these M&Ms; they are sold by weight, so there is a scale where you can weigh your bag before going to the cash register. We helped Debbie weigh some M&Ms; they didn't weigh the same at the register. Then a few steps away, browse through a selection of candy dispensers and T-shirts. These tees poke fun with catchy logos like "You Wanna Piece of Me?" and "Candy of the Opera."

Located on the third floor, the first-ever “My M&M’s” allows you to personalize the candies with your own custom message. You can write anything from your name to a special date or any other message that fits two lines (eight characters per line). It’s fun, easy, and only takes a couple of minutes.

Juststeps away from the "My M&M's" station, catch the digitally-remastered interactive 3-D film, "I Left My M in Vegas" in the M&M's movie theater. Enjoy a thrilling adventure with Red and Yellow as they try to reclaim Red's "M" logo he gambled away in a roulette game. The free movie runs about 10 minutes long and plays throughout the day.
On the fourth and final floor, get an up-close look at an M&M's sponsored
Toyota Camry race car and a bunch of NASCAR-themed M&M products like model
cars and candy dispensers.
You see a timeline of how the M&M's characters evolved throughout the years. These walls also showcase funny movie posters starring your favorite M&M characters.

Throughout all the four floors there were M&M statues you could take pictures with. Grady, Debbie and Robin took the picture with the red M&M with the Las Vegas sign, and then I did. Robin just had to take a picture with the blue M&M too.

M&M's World really brings out the kid in all of everyone, but it doesn't take much for me to be a kid. My only thing I would change about this store would be the prices. It's an amazing store, and I love M&M's!